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Friday, July 16, 2010

can i play with your scraps?

At the retreat, there was quite a lot of smack talk between Shelly and me in regards to our favorite fabrics. I happen to think anything with white fabric is fabulous, (shocking, i know!) while she has a deep love for batiks. (Could you get any more opposite?) At some point a challenge was issued and I had to accept. She sent some batik scraps home with me, and I shared some fabulous white fabric with her. ;) We decided we would make each other a small project using the said materials. She can not add any batiks to her quilt and I could not add any white to mine.

Now, I'm not particularly fond of batiks (my husband thinks they are nasty)...but I must say, it was a great creative exercise. I loved the challenge! I could even get used to batiks. Maybe! I do like their saturated colors and the fabric itself is just so sturdy. Somehow it was easier for me to use scraps rather than whole fat quarters or yardage.

Anyway, this is the mini quilt that I came up with. It measures about 14" x 17".

I liked it so much I wanted to keep it, so I'd call that a success.

This whole exercise gave me an idea.....

I thought I would put this challenge out to my readers...can I play with your scraps? If anyone is interested, this is how it would go. I will select a random name from the comments. That person would send me a small bag of scraps. I'll use the scraps to make a mini quilt and send it back to the person who provided the scraps. Doesn't that sound like a whole lot of fun? If you are interested, leave me a comment on this post.

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edited to add: Tammy was selected via the random number generator, so I'll be playing with her scraps. Thanks for all the interest in this idea. I think it's going to be a whole lot of fun. :)

Oh this sounds like fun! What a great little challenge too to play with scraps that normally are not prints/colors you would pick. I have to say that I am not a huge fan of batiks either, although I can appreciate that others love them. :)

i would definitely be interested! i have SO MANY scraps, but when i look at them, it's hard not to see the original project that they resulted from. so, creativity is a little hard to come by! i would love to see what you would come up with! and i'd love to return the favor, of course!

Oh- did I got this right? WE all take part and YOU will make the quilts? No exchange or anything? Okay - I am sure I'll find something special for you...And by the way - I agree with your husband regarding the batics...:O(

This is a CUTE idea....I have to be up front and honest with you though, if you pick my name, you'll end up with a bag of Civil War reproductions....that doesn't seem to be your style either...but I LOVE them.

I think it sounds like a very cool idea. Right now we are in the process of moving, so I am actually touching fabric that has not seen the light of day in a while :-) Anyway, I could certainly grab a bag full of some kind of scraps.

Well done on your batik mini! I generally use batiks in small quantities but usually the ones that are more like dyed fabric than designed. I'd love to see what you make with my scraps. I've got an overflowing box, so I could consciously pick some stuff out or grab and see what emerges.

Sounds like fun! Count me in! I have 10 weeks until our 3rd arrives so I have been so busy decluttering, moving my two girls in together, and all that fun stuff I don't have time for selfish fun time (quilting).

I've got a ziploc bag filled chock full of 1.5" squares.. and a few random strips that aren't much longer than 6 inches or so. I've got a ton of different random fabrics in it, and I just add to it after I finish a project.. take my scraps and turn them into square and toss them in!

Not sure what I want to do with them, but if you pick me I'll send you the whole thing. Got to warn you... there's some strange prints in there.. hehehe.

Are you sure you'd want to play with my scraps - some are very very small - I don't know why I still have them but I always think maybe I can do *^%$@~ with them - it would be interesting to see what you'd come up with though ;-)

The batik mini quilt is darling! I've recently become a batik convert by trying all things out of my comfort zone...and growing to love them all! I'm the most curious about what Shelly is making with your white scraps...???? The mystery continues...!!!! Stay tuned for future adventures???

What would someone NOT like about sending scraps and having someone else make them a mini quilt out of them? Why YES, YES, YES!!! I have so many scraps it would be hard to figure out which to send you....hmmm...I think I would just stick my hand in the scrap bin, pull some out and that would be the ones I'd send. And I also am not a lover of batiks - like your husband, I think they look dirty.

I hope working with Batiks was not too painful for you. :)I like the end result. Nice and bright. Smack talk-I love it. My head is racing with what scraps I could send you. I have one box of scraps that is kept separate (for a reason).

That sounds like a ton of fun! But I'm not sure that I'd want my scraps to come back to me. :D No offense. I'd love to have a quilt made by you. But I'm trying to get rid of my scraps! I can't give them or a quilt made with them away fast enough!

I love the saturated colors of the batiks. I made a quilt for my MIL a couple of Christmases ago with them, and really loved how lively the quilt felt with all those really intense colors. Been thinking of playing with them some more. :)

I have a ton of great scraps that an experienced quilter gave me when I was just starting out. None of them match very well and I don't know how to use them to make something nice. I refuse to get rid of them, though, because this quilter was so nice to part with them for the sake of my learning. You're welcome to have at them!

WOW! I bet you're surprised at this overwhelming response to a scrap challenge! I think it sounds like a ton of fun - pick me!! Also, think of how this challenge can be easily extended to others and how more people can participate! It really sounds like a great idea!

ohhhh pick me, pick me.... Sounds like so much fun. I love the idea of doing a big scrap swap bee- but since I'm due to have my 2nd baby in like 2 weeks I am making myself resist the temptation to commit to anything until next year. Your batik quilt looks great - and I too am not a fan of batiks...

I would like you to draw my name. I would send you my friend's scraps because she told me about your blog and several times she mentioned that she missed you while your blog was on-hold. I can't wait to see what you do with whomever's scraps you get.Have fun.

Yes it sounds like fun and I am very interested. I think my scraps would provide a challenge for you. I am surprised that so many of your commentors don't like batiks. I think they are beautiful. I'm anxious to see what scraps you get and what you do with them.

It would be an honor to send you some scraps and see what you would come up with! Your work is spectacular and I would love for you to choose me... please... and thank you! Your original fabric artwork will be given a special place in my home.

I've never used batiks but friends have and made fabulous quilts. Now my scraps would be different - I don't have any of the fabrics always mentioned in Blogs and on Flickr ( Munki Munki etc) so perhaps they would be a challenge? Hope you choose me!

This is such a great idea - if I had more time this summer it'd be fun to help organize a scrap-fabric-mini-quilt swap! I think I'd love the challenge of working with scraps, the more "crazy" the better! (I suppose if I'm chosen you'll let us know if you want them similar or not) I do enjoy batiks, but generally I like the tonal ones that have depth and I use them in small pieces. I really like the little quilt you made and can't wait to see what she made!

Amandajean your quilt is great and owning a quilt made by you would be so cool! Even though I'm inspired by all your quilts with lots of white sometimes it's good for us to step outside our comfort zone. I'm fairly new to quilting so don't have a large scrap bag yet but I'm sure I could come up with enough for a small quilt .

Are you kidding? I would love, no, LURVE to hand someone a bag of my scraps and say "go!"! I have scraps from 15 years back when I first started this quilty thing and they are like rings in a tree, they really span the range of my tastes and whims over all that time. You are so courageous, open and creative to do this. Have a blast!

What a fun idea! A swap like this would be great too! I bet some fab blogger out there has already done it. I would love to trade scraps with you even and make something for you too. But if you don't have enough scraps I totally understand LOL!

What a great idea. Why is it that someone else's scraps are always much more interesting than your own - even if you don't particularly like the fabric? I'd love to send you a bag of my Liberty tana lawn scraps to play with and would dearly like some of your scraps to make a quilt for you in exchange - this is just the sort of challenge I love! What fun! Anne

Oh my gosh that sounds like fun! I am a huge scrapaholic and have collected so many great pieces over the years. In fact, I never buy fabric and make do with just about everything I have collected. Such a great challenge that way!

I love batiks. I love the colors and variations of them. And I have to say that I laughed when I saw this. You want SOMEONE ELSE'S scraps? Like you don't have enought to do or enough scraps of your own? It does sound fun, though.